at times that's what I think. I never had sex or kissed anyone, women my age are experienced and sexy and know what they like and all. i panicked the 3 times ii went on a date, two of them insulted me directly and indirectly and the last one could NOT wait to leave. I am finally gaining a bit of weight so i look less like a tall insect but even if i fixed my appearance... what for?
the odds are bad. the man would need to be very very very patient and understanding while i deal with the panic attacks, he would need to be close to blind so he doesn't find my looks repulsive, he would need to be tolerant of my weird attitude because i dont know how to act in a relationship and he would need to be okay with my issues with sex and everything; i don't even know if i could have sex. the idea fills me with dread.
and i'm in ly late thirties so... so why would he go for me? even a desperate man would have more chance with someone fucked up but sexually available who's not full of mental issues... and there are many... usually even women who look bad but are sexually available can find partners... they can be funny and sweet and affectionate... i don't know if I can be that way with someone.
what would I even do in a relationship? would i even be able to be a good girlfriend? i don't want to hurt anyone with my trauma. i don't want to be these people who finally find someone and then shut them out because they don't know how ot act.
anyone sweet and decent would deserve better than what i can offer, if i'm even able to offer anything. i feel like i have a lot of love inside of me but i don't know how to express it. the shame of feeling attraction kills everything inside me.
i feel like i was not made to be a human being with a sex drive and a romantic life. i feel like i was made to be abused by my family and then thrown into the corporate machine and work until I'm dead. is is there affection to get anywhere? and even if I improved my looks so much, the sex is another issue.
threads on reddit show many people don't want to "teach" sex to a partner especially at my age. apparently youre supposed to be an expert of your own body at some undefined age and you should know what you like and what you don't and have your list of sex acts ready to be exchanged with that person so they can gauge whether they'll take a chance on you... it's so weird and not natural to me.
i feel like mayyyybe i would have had a chance at a more "normal" life, if i had undergone trauma therapy much younger but with my abusive family it wasn't possible, and while i was living with them it's not like i could have gotten any better. and mayyyybe if i hadn't started starving myself so young.

Being eaten.
No, I do not mean being on the receiving end as someone goes down on you. Sex seems to be popular in fiction these days, if the shitty Fifty Shades of Grey is any indication, and I sorely, desperately wish what I was about to write was all fiction. Then I could sprinkle some gratuitous sex on it, go to a publisher, and hope that it would sell. Then I would be not risking my job altogether sharing this so that strangers on the Internet would at least know of my suffering in having to watch human beings die brutal, bloody deaths to satisfy a desire even more primal than sex and far less pleasurable.
Yes, I’m talking about eating. And about being literally, bona fide eaten. An incredulous notion in modern society, where we live in concrete houses and walk on asphalt streets. Where the animals we encounter are anywhere between little quacking ducks and crotch-high geese. We live free of our early ancestor’s fear of becoming something else’s food. Crocodile, tiger, lion - pick your customer. It, in most cases, starts with the intense pressure of clamp-strong jaws, driving teeth into parts of your body where teeth should not be stabbing into. Depending on how lucky you are, there will likely be hellish pain lasting anywhere from seconds to minutes (that I am willing to bet feels much longer) before death takes you. What happens to your consciousness after that is a popular debate. What happens to your body is not. You get chewed into a consistency similar to hamburger patties in some cases, swallowed whole in others. Different vehicles to the same destination of an acidic stomach. Your useful parts are broken down into a mushy soup. The rest are ejected from the back end.
A shitty way to go, literally and metaphorically. A living human being, full of emotions and dreams and hope, turned into lifeless steak, soup then shit. At least three out of five young men and women whose last days I will recount below went that way. The other two… well, let’s say that it has been three weeks at this time of writing, and I do not have much hope.
The day started with Matthew dropping several paper files in beige covers on my desk. When I opened it and saw a report complete with pictures of grinning people on the first page, I knew right there and then that it was going to be anything but a normal day at work.
“Missing?” I asked, eyebrows raising. It was the single possibility. Police could have pictures on their desks for all kinds of stuff, but not us rangers. Only then did I notice the tight line Matthew’s lips had pressed into.
“Not like that, no.” He shook his head. “None of them got lost. All five came down here from Sydney, stayed at Winston Ward’s place. That’s Ward’s daughter, Madeleine.” His fingers pressed on the picture of a girl at the top of the page. Hair dyed blue and with the brightest smile of the bunch, I noticed. “She and one other, Cathy, their Indigenous guide, are the two still missing.” Matthew pointed next to the picture below Madeleine. Cathy was dark-skinned and had a hiking stick resting above her shoulder, clearly posing for some sort of promotional photo. “And these three, well…”
I took a quick glance at the other photos. Steve Wilson had the build of a runner, wiry and dressed in a tank top to match. Lisa Mooney, blonde with gold-rimmed glasses. Ashley Lo - his curly dark hair tied back into a ponytail. I knew I would not have to pay extra-close attention to their appearance. Two missing.
“I don’t know, man. Kind of wanted your input on it, too.” Matthew shook his head. “Best you see it for yourself. The police could not decide if it was murder or an animal attack, so they requested us. Found all three of them ripped apart. Caught, well, a suspect, I suppose, on their own cam-”
“You kidding? A suspect and they could not decide if it’s an animal attack or not?”
“I know, Tom, watch it for yourself and tell me I’m not crazy. Hells, they didn’t just have the pictures. Caught the damned killings on film, and still can’t decide if he, it - whatever - is man or animal. I will send the footage over in a bit. Some photos are in there, too. Just don’t puke up your breakfast. I’m seriously thinking of going vegan.”
What the fuck?
I frowned. Matthew could not wait for someone to share his hell, I supposed, and quickly retreated back into his office, leaving me alone with the papers.
Here are the facts.
Winston Ward, your typical real estate rich guy, bought some bushland last year next to our park. His plan was straightforward - setting up lavish air-conditioned bungalows amidst the Australian bush, complete with five-star hotel facilities such as private pools and a fine dining restaurant. A luxury retreat amidst trees and shrubs, letting you enjoy the best of nature and avoiding the worst. No insect stings, soaking rains or blistering heat that the normal campers had to suffer. Just a couple of hours drive from Sydney to boot. All well and good, except for the fact that it came alarmingly close to intruding on national park’s land. So Parks and Wildlife Service took notice and kept a close eye on Ward’s project. So far, even though he has not opened his retreat and nothing illegal had been done, Ward became a popular name among us rangers. Just in case.
I certainly did not expect his name - or his family’s name - rather, to come up this way.
It had been Ashley’s idea. An Ecology graduate, he wanted to make a documentary about Aboriginal people’s way of sustainable living among nature. He got his girlfriend, Madeleine Ward, into it, alongside fellow graduates Steve and Lisa. Madeleine easily secured the filming spot with her father. They hired Cathy as the expert for the film, and the five of them occupied two bungalows. Living in the lap of luxury while trying to promote sustainability. Three cameras were installed. Two security cams for each bungalow, expectedly. The third was a camera trap, the kind used on wildlife trails to capture pictures and videos of animals. Likely intended for fun.
As much as I respect the purpose of their never-finished documentary, I find twenty six-year-old Ashley rather hypocritical, and rather gross given how Madeleine only turned eighteen three months ago. But not to speak ill of the dead, I suppose.
I braced myself as I turned the page for the photos, and failed to stop the dry-heave that came up. Three bodies, gnawed clean of flesh. Strands of dark curly hair on the first mangled head identified it as Ashley’s. The skull was smashed open, its insides, empty where a brain had been licked clean, caked with dried blood. Shattered pieces of his bones were strewn over muddy soil, brown rain water filling in troughs where the marrow that had been sucked out. Steve and Lisa was in roughly a familiar state, and I shivered at how disturbingly clean the bones were. Take away the skull that clearly showed the remains to be human, and it could have been a smokehouse’s dump - filled with finished ribs and chicken wings.
And yet, the final photo proved even more unsettling.
It was a still taken from one of the security cameras. At night, judging from the grey filter. It was still bright enough, however, for me to make out the grassy front of a bungalow. Bushes and shrubs lined the far end. A dark figure loomed over them, casting a long shadow.
I shivered once more.
I had walked into the bushes hundreds, if not thousands, of times. I knew how dense they could be - reaching up to your chests in many places. That figure - standing on two legs with long arms drooping at its side - barely had its knees covered by the shrubs. The photo, even though grainy, was clear enough for me to make out a domed head resting upon a neck so thick the figure might as well be said to lack one. Matching broad shoulders held up that neck, deltoids bulging. The… thing, apparently, had little hair as far as I could see.
I did not notice how hard I had clenched my jaws until a cramp-like pain made me grunt. Matthew could not be fucking with me, could he? I had worked with the guy for years. I called the local police station. The woman on the other end confirmed it. Unless a whole station was in on the prank with Matthew - an idea equally impossible as what I was seeing - it seemed like we had won the reverse lottery of missing and dead people cases.
As much as the Internet likes to make fun of its deadly wildlife, most of Australia has no large land predators. Dingoes are pretty much your average dog. The huge crocs live way too far to the north and sharks do not magically appear in the middle of bushlands. Neither looked like some psychopathic, cannibalistic basketball player wearing a shaved-clean, badly proportioned gorilla suit. The police’s best option was us, I could tell, but as far as me and Matthew went, we were equally clueless.
I shook my head and rubbed my temples - for a moment questioning my sense of reality. That was until an alert jabbed into the screen of my desktop. Matthew’s email.
Here are the footages, Tom. Crazy stuff. I got them to send us a scan of Madeleine’s journal, too. Found where those kids were seen last.
An unholy amount of files came in a link he attached.
The rest of my day was spent going through them all. I still know not what to make of what I saw, and I need time to collect myself before I can write of what I have seen on those tapes.
I need a nap. And dinner. But no meat. I agree with Matthew. As much as I loved a nice scotch fillet, I’m probably going vegan for a while.

Blockers won't get you anywhere if you don't change your mindset and attitudes toward P.
I've tried so many blockers, such as Cold Turkey Blocker, host file (by StevenBlack ), different chrome extensions,... I've also tried to block incognito mode, adding different chrome profiles and deleting search history using registry editor.
On my phone, I've enabled screentime using my friend's id apple, content restriction, even blocked app store, paid money to buy keyword blocker, social media blocker,... Whenever I tried to bypass screentime restriction, I will need to pay my friend 5$.
Basically, I've blocked all the sources of P using all the methods that I know, and accessing NSFW now is impossible.
Or so I thought.
As I found out later, messaging apps on phone have in-app browser, which means you can open a link inside the app without saving search history or information. I discovered this when I was sending myself some adult links that I remembered.
Moreover, our family has a TV that can connect to the Internet and surf websites, whenever my parents go out, I will take advantage of that feature. My mom also often puts her laptop at home, so I can look up P on that device too. Additionally, I have 2 e-ink readers that run android, so I can easily download and transfer P files to my laptop disks.
Those are just some of the things that I've tried to bypass P blockers. Despite having those blockers, I still relapse frequently, even daily since the act of trying all the methods just to watch P is more stimulating than just pressing Ctrl + Shift + N.
Yeah, and you can just delete the blockers altogether if you want to view P that deseperately.
The moral of the story: Not only do P blockers prevent desires to view P temporarily, but they also suppress our emotions and urges, which will burst out after some time. Surely, for some of you guys, they may work wonderfully, but as for a heavy addict like me, I would often do everything just to do the deed. At the end of the day, it comes down to the mindset. If you truly want to quit P, you will do everything within your capacity to resist the urges.
I'll admit that I'm still weak mentally, and all those relapses are totally my choice to do so. Man, at this rate, I may have to get rid of all the technology around me 😔
TLDR: P blockers are filled with loopholes. They will suppress your sexual desires and urges temporarily instead of stopping them (which is bad). Mindset and attitudes toward porn are what matter the most.
P/S: Cold Turkey Blocker is wonderful for boosting productivity instead of quitting P though

Sorry if i come off as a little awkward i'll be as honest about myself
About me

• my name is ryan
• White
• Brown hair
• Wears glasses
• I'm 6,2
• A little on the chubby side but working on losing weight
• I'm on the autism spectrum
• Very socially awkward
• Extremely empathetic
• Kind of clingy -LOVE to info dump

My interests include:

• Reading (especially horror stuff like stephen king)
• Movies (any genre works for me but mainly horror)
• Video games (again any genre works but i especially love platformers and puzzle games)
• Animation of any kind

I would like to find a person who is a very kind soul who is ok with me infodumping on certain occasions.
I don't mind your height or weight but i do prefer if the age range is from 20-25 though i would prefer if you showed a picture first then i'll give mine in exchange and i would love to hear your interests 😊. You could start with favorite movies/games to play/watch
I'm hoping I could make a connection with someone. Doesn't have to be romantic.
If you prefer to chat on reddit or discord i don't mind either way. (I'll send my discord in dms)
Btw i'm usually open, and when i don't respond. Usually it's because i'm asleep XD

Time to Wakawank.
I think that Wakatsuki gets too much hate for the way he fights. "Various" people (cough, cough) complain that he has next to no technique or battle IQ, and only wins when he's physically stronger than the opponent/when the strength gap is miniscule and can be made up by white-belt level karate. Here's why I think some of it is unearned.
Starting off with technique. I think that too many people forget that the man weighs 200 kg. He's not gonna be doing flying roundhouse kicks. The only heavyweight characters who can are one-off, gimmick characters like Karo or sometimes Haruo. Julius or Kiohzan are very much limited to their punches, front kicks and charges. Just like Wakatsuki.
Granted, Mudo does manage to perform very high dexterity techniques while being described as a mountain, however, Wakatsuki is a Karate practicioner. (Even if he branches out into grappling). He cannot learn Demonsbane, Redirection, Divine Demon, etc. because guess what, Karate doesn't have those. It's not just that his body is limited to punches and kicks, it's that Karate as a whole is. (oversimplification, but still).
Next, battle IQ and strategy. This is actually the main thing I wanted to talk about. I do not think that Wakatsuki fights as well as he can, and I do not think that he is a worse fighter for it.
Before he fights Murobuchi Gozo, he says that he "cannot afford to go easy". He then proceeds to take a flying knee to the face just to get a punch in. He is scared shitless of Julius, aware that he outclasses his in strength and size, and then proceeds to trade blows with him until he starts getting pushed back. My point is that when facing other simple, strength oriented fighters like himself, Waka fights like they would. This is probably a matter of pride (Waka wants to be the strongest, physically at least, if not overall), but also of principles (something, something Bushido and the spirit of Karate. My point is that he wants a fair, simple contest, when possible).
I do not understand why so many people take the Julius fight, which Waka won (even if with extreme diff), as an example of Waka's lack of skill. He clearly fought on his opponent's terms. We know that this is not just a skill issue, because when he fights a smart/dirty fighter, Muteba, he very much strategizes. In fact, he manages to outplay and outpredict Muteba at every step, only taking one meaningful blow, which he predicted and took on purpose, before the fight is over. By the time Muteba surrendered, that was a low diff win for Waka, blind out of one eye (even if Muteba's blind out of both), and with a bad leg.
When fighting Ohma, he does the same thing. He outplays him consistently, until he takes just one, all or nothing counter. There is nothing saying that Ohma would have won if they fought again. Even then, using his loss against the literal protagonist as an argument against him is, for obvious reasons, pointless.
Finally, the Fei fight. Here's the thing. Afraid of sending Waka out against Rolon, who might be a soft fighter, thus a bad match for the former, Kazuo sends him out to fight Fei. Fei is a soft fighter and a bad match for Waka. Oops. Even then, Fei has more than Taichi up his sleeve, as he also (apparently) practices MMA, Jiu Jitsu and, oh yeah, the Niko style, which not even the remaining Purgatory members knew about. This alone means that he's stronger than his reputation would imply. Still, that's fine, even with all that technique and talent, Waka is stronger. At least he was, until Fei used divine demon.
Here's my point. Even with Fei now being strong enough to beat anyone or almost anyone from either team, I think that this is a specifically bad matchup for Waka. Not only is he fighting a soft fighter with great technique, now that fighter is also way stronger and faster than him, who's defining trait is strength. The only stats Waka has on him now are resolve and BIQ. And still! I think most people forget that Waka did not lose that fight. Unless of course you consider having to kill yourself for a fucking draw, whereas your opponent gets up two minutes later, a win.
Anyways, what are your thoughts?
Also, Gaowankers, I still rate your fave very highly, so please don't kill me. In fact, I think that Gao and Waka are pretty much evenly matched, even if I'd say that Waka is a better match against Gao than vice-versa.

A man approaches an airline ticket desk and as he books his flight, asks the attendant if one of his 3 pieces of luggage could be sent to Paris, another to London, and the third to Cairo.
That’s impossible, I’m afraid sir, the attendant replied. We can’t send your luggage to 3 different cities.
Man says, we’ll you did it last time I flew your airline.

I (24M) have been in a relationship for about a year (21F) and have been having thoughts about our compatibility since the whole inital “honeymoon” stage has come to an end.
I have generally had issues cutting my relationships in the past even though they grow toxic for me. My love for the other person usually stops me from breaking up with them and I feel terrible about breaking their heart. I usually try to make things work at all costs.
I’m also aware that no one is perfect and great relationships need commitment and a certain level of compromise from both parties to be successful.
So, with that being said, when do you all think it’s time to move on? What’s your deal breaker? Where do you draw the line between compromising and leaving?
Currently, I have found someone who’s personality I identify with on a level I never thought possible before, but they have a few habits which constantly irritate me with no sign of them stopping. Even when constructive discussions about issues have resolved nothing.
They have almost identical hobbies and interests as me. I have never felt this similacompatible to someone before mentally. They’re curious learners and incredibly passionate and generous. It’s always easy to talk to them and we truly feel like a team together. I can always talk about anything with them even if it risks upsetting them. Oh, and she’s the most beautiful girl I’ve ever layed eyes on. I can go on forever listing all the positives…
On the other hand, they’re far too clingy. I feel like my freedoms are limited and I have to justify doing ANYTHING without them. I don’t hang out with friends or colleagues nearly as much anymore and it’s upsetting. They’re also lazy, unmotivated and crippled by ADHD. I’m always eager to go out and explore, and definitely keep in great shape physically. She doesn’t like to exercise and complains about walking for more than 10 minutes. I’ve put on a lot of weight and have stopped exercising regularly.
I also feel a financial burden with them. It’s far from 50/50 and according to them it’s due to their muslim background and thus culturally they feel as if the man must provide. This is a deal breaker for them. It’s so irritating to be stuck paying for groceries and dinner, whilst I watch her blow her money irresponsibly on herself. Generally, despite so many things going for her, she’s pretty stubborn and it feels like I must compromise but she won’t take no for an answer.
What would you do? I’ve been struggling with this for a while so would appreciate any tips beyond the standard “nah bro just move on”. Prior to this I was in a 4 year relationship where I tried all I could to make it work, but ended up in disappointment and heartbreak for me. Although we shared some beautiful memories which wouldn’t have happened if I left as soon as it got hard, I would like to avoid wasting time and possibly risking my mental health unnecessarily.
TLDR: In a romantic relationship, would you stay with your partner if, despite having an amazing personality and many hobbies in common, they have issues with laziness, clinging, and financial demands which are becoming increasingly tiring?
Thanks!

Long story short:
* Like everyone else, I had doubts before purchasing any of his courses, so I’ll mention the main points that were important to me before buying it (more on this when I talk about the four main problems I faced in my journey of self-development and attraction):
* Is the course worth it? Considering the impact it has had on my life, my answer is a resounding YES.
* Is there a cost-benefit balance? Absolutely yes.
* Will it help me in all areas of my life? Yes, especially with power dynamics. This course will offer you valuable insights that you can apply in any area of your life.
* Do the techniques and strategies really work? Yes, they do. However, like any course, the key is to you apply what you've learned and it also depends on the time and effort you're willing to invest to achieve lasting changes
Important note: I don't have any kind of relationship with Lucio or anyone on his team, and no one paid me to do this review, much less to share such intimate details. I am doing this of my own free will because I want to thank him for all the knowledge he has provided me, and I believe this could be useful for him and for anyone looking to determine whether what he teaches is useful or not. This review is not going to be directly about his courses; it is going to be about all the resources on TPM (The Power Moves), and specifically about the impact they have had on my life. Consider it more of a testimonial and also a personal opinion.
The following review is quite detailed, and really long. I really believe that writing less would strip away a lot of depth and context. I don’t expect everyone to read it entirely, but maybe it can offer some perspective to someone interested in buying the course. I’m not a special person (I mean like someone famous, or with a lot of academic titles, or any of that); I’m just a regular guy looking to improve the quality of my life and achieve enough economic prosperity to help the people I love most live the life they want, help those in need, people, animals…and if possible, gain valuable knowledge that helps me in my work as a psychologist. Nothing satisfies me more than seeing the faces of people when, with some time and effort, they realize they can do things they never thought possible and feel proud of themselves for achieving it. I also haven’t had it easy in my romantic life, and I’d like to find a healthy person who is also motivated to be a better human being and have a peaceful love. Learning about power will just be a means to contribute my little bit to this world. I’m not a writer, but I’ll try to outline what I consider to be the most important points to give you another perspective to consider, if you want to buy this course. My native language is Spanish, so due to the length of the text and my lack of skill in “speaking” another language, I decided to use ChatGPT as a translator (since I feel it does a better job than Google Translator), and I’ll make the necessary adjustments to make myself better understood.
For most of my life, I lived in deep loneliness and experienced a lot of abuse from people. I never understood why, no matter how many good things I did for others, I received mistreatment in return. My social programming whispered to me, “Do good things for others, and they will be good to you”, “Give to others what you would like to receive,” among many other things. But as time went by, I slowly fell into despair. Since I was 8 years old, I’ve had suicidal thoughts, strongly influenced by my social/romantic life. Eventually, I began to harbor unhealthy beliefs that took root in my way of thinking. For example, I thought I had to make enormous efforts to maintain the “affection” and “acceptance” people “had” for me. I also believed that if no one, not a single person, treated me with respect, it was because that was what I deserved. If no one was interested in who I was, it was because I was worth so little that I couldn’t ask for more from life and should be grateful for the crumbs of “love” I received. Regarding my love life, during my first 19 years, not a single person showed interest in me. I’m not extremely attractive, but based on social feedback, I’d say I’m slightly above average. Perhaps my short height would be the one physical trait that works against me, as I’m 1.63 meters or, as you might better understand, I’m 5’4”. As for internal traits related to girls, I treated them well, was respectful, showed interest in them, helped them, dedicated a lot of my time, and was unconditionally there for them through good and bad times. I was many things that, according to movies and the opinions of many girls (based solely on what they said they wanted), I thought would bring me plenty of women, and yet, not a single soul wanted to be with me. What I did achieve with the girls I liked was becoming their best friend. And so, I spent my days and nights listening to the girls I liked cry over aggressive men who mistreated them physically and emotionally and/or cheated on them with other girls. I didn’t understand it; I had a good set of values and not just with them but with everyone. I considered myself a good guy, competent in some areas, and was unconditionally there for them, and yet they preferred to be with clearly violent men. In one of the moments when I felt most miserable, the following happened: I liked a girl and expressed it to her, and although she initially reciprocated, a month later, she left me for someone else and started dating that person. In something very similar to therapy, I ended up helping her for almost three years to improve her relationship with her aggressive partner.
Here, I’d like to say something (nothing to do with the situation, but anyway, I wanted to share those thoughts with you): two of the worst things I was made to believe were: “You don’t have to change; someone will come and love you just as you are,” and “Romantic love is something that just happens naturally, stop looking for it. It will come to you.” Neither of these things ever happened, and both are awful, unempathetic and limiting mindsets.
Eight years ago, after spending some time in a psychiatric hospital due to suicidal ideation, I decided to completely change my life and committed to my personal growth. Every day without exception, I studied and applied the concepts I was learning in my spare time, while studying to one day become a psychologist. I bought books, courses (even from very prominent figures in the world of seduction and self-development that you would easily recognize). When I didn’t even have money to eat, I downloaded them from pirate sources, but I always found a way to keep progressing. I had many virtual teachers who helped me grow in different aspects, and I’m very grateful for the knowledge they provided me that helped me climb out of that black hole. Like many who embark on this journey, I reached a point where, no matter how much I read and took courses, there was nothing new to pull me out of my stagnation. Everything was the same. I had to constantly review new resources and listen to endless hours of videos to find a needle in a haystack. For me, it was no longer worth paying for a full course if what I was going to found was something I had likely already learned (a lot of times for free). Although I sought to develop on all levels, here I will emphasize the romantic part more. Generally, these learning resources had a couple of problems: the first is that I’ve never been the kind of person who wants to date multiple girls; I’m more the type of guy who seeks a stable partner. The second problem was that many people who teach dating skills ask you to have a very high energy level and I’m a very calm and rather introverted person (not shy, introverted). I don’t want to pretend to be excited or become friends with everyone around me to increase my social value (it’s very exhausting and not worth it as a long-term strategy). The third problem is that the advice of many people who want to promote healthy relationships (some of them psychologists), although well-intentioned, makes any spark that generated attraction nonexistent, generating very predictable behavior (in the bad way) among other things. – certainly, those tools are important for a healthy relationship, but they won’t necessarily make someone feel attracted to you (I find it unlikely). They are more of a positive complement that can help increase value when there is already attraction. After a while and thanks to Lucio’s reflections, I realized the problems and limitations that these gurus or psychologists, basically they are very “politically correct”. Finally, the last problem I found is that none of them addressed the true root of my problem. No matter how much I improved in all aspects, I still didn’t see results with girls. Yes, the number of girls approaching me increased slightly, but none wanted to be with me for a long-term relationship. That missing ingredient is called “power,” and although briefly mentioned in those courses, videos, books, etc., it was never sufficiently well explained to understand why I wasn’t achieving results. My problem was that my balance between warmth and power was enormously unbalanced. I was completely warm with people, but I didn’t have a clue about power dynamics (what Lucio would call “The King’s Servant). I ended up in the “good guy” category, a good guy who wanted to be bad and wanted to treat women poorly to see if he got results, but whose moral values never allowed him to do anything that would hurt or could hurt another person, even if it meant remaining alone (which, far from making me feel good or proud at the moment, it only increased my self-hate). I wanted to remain good, but being good got me nowhere. Adding to that, due to my upbringing, I developed an anxious attachment style (something I also hated for a long time because, objectively speaking, it’s certainly easier for an avoidant man to have more power in a relationship thanks to his natural tendency to fear emotional closeness and natural behavior to protect his independence; quick note: I think that behavior is far from perfect but from what I’ve seen at least they get more results with girls). I have been always considered too clingy and dependent.
Many girls who felt initial attraction to me after a while wanted me to stay in their lives, but never as their partner, only as a good friend. When I turned 20, I found my first partner. This girl was incredibly attracted to me at first, but as soon as I started prioritizing her and seeking closeness, when I set aside my power to be “truly myself,” she began to lose attraction and started to disrespect me. At some point along that path, I came across TPM, and I must say it was a pleasant surprise after years of stagnation.
Human beings are very complex, and because of this, it’s unlikely that a single teacher will “save” you from your social and/or romantic situation. But for me, the person who has influenced my life for the better the most is Lucio. Since I started this journey, I’ve been gathering bits of knowledge from each person that has contributed to who I am, but there have been two things that have totally changed my social life, and for me, both are equally important. The first would take a long time to explain and is more about inner work and pure reflection, but in terms of knowledge, if I had to erase those eight years and start over, I’d like it to be with the knowledge Lucio provides. Seduction University was the last course I bought a long time ago, and Power University will probably be the last course I’ll buy (for several years). I bought Seduction University quite some time ago (about two or three years) and am still learning; I’m just over 73% through the course. This amount of time might surprise many, but those who seek lasting changes in themselves and who are truly committed to deeply learning and integrating everything there until it becomes second nature, know it will likely take several months and probably years.
Having knowledge is not a magic cure; knowing something doesn't make you good at it. Changing deep aspects of one's identity is not as easy as many people seem to forget; it's slow, very slow, and also requires conscious and constant effort. The path of personal growth is not easy, but personally I don't expect it to be. It may take me several years of practice to consolidate all that knowledge, but I know with absolute certainty that it will be a great investment for my future. Going back to the main point, in my opinion, Seduction University and very likely Power University will give you much more value than what you'd get from a more well-known person's course, and at an incredibly affordable price. I know this, because I've been consuming content from many authors for 8 years (every day, each day of the past 8 years without fail). Honestly, I'm fortunate that it is priced so affordably. To be completely honest with you I don't earn much money, and, in my country, there is not much economic prosperity, there is significant inequality, and for me, paying for a course in dollars is comparatively much more expensive than for people who earn in dollars or other stronger currencies. And still, I believe it's totally worth investing in these courses.
One important thing I've learned over the years is that there are things your mind will not be ready to understand, and the good thing about that is as long as you commit to your learning, you will keep growing and progressing, and at some point when you revisit the material, you might understand those things you didn't “grasp” initially, or you might achieve more advanced things that your novice self couldn't properly do the first time you went through the material. You'll pay a price for one of these courses the day you decide to buy it (if you decide to do so), but the truth is that by the time you truly learn everything, so much time will have passed that, if you look at it from a very distant perspective (all the required time for you to really learn), you'll find that the benefits you will get will be arguably greater than those that Lucio and his team will have gotten. Another thing to keep in mind is that either Seduction University or Power University, if used well, will likely help you achieve more economic prosperity; on the other hand, Lucio makes sure to improve the course content, which guarantees even more growth over time. For me this justifies the annual payment to access the material again, which brings me to the next point: Lucio gives you a full year to access the learning material, and if you want to keep having access, he significantly reduces the price (probably in gratitude to those who trusted him and decided to buy the course). Also, keep in mind what I said about how it's very likely that the second or third time you take the course, you'll probably learn new things you were not prepared for before. Finally, it's a price that, in my opinion, supports all his work. He has spent a lot of time and effort reading books, articles, reviewing courses, making videos, writing in his blog, and much more, all for free. Even if you decided not to buy any of his courses, believe me, just by reading his articles, watching his videos, and reading the book reviews he recommends for specific issues, you'd already be avoiding wasting time on reading useless or unnecessarily complex things. For my part, I'm glad he was able to provide me with a way out of the stagnation I had; I really like that he also considers people who are looking for a stable relationship and not just those seeking to have more sexual partners (which is also very valid and respectable); I like that he teaches the "general rules and mindsets," allowing for personality flexibility since that way I don't feel compelled to be (or rather pretend to be) a very energetic and super sociable person to achieve good results with girls; I like that he is a person who does not seek or promote the use of the knowledge he has to harm people but focuses on teaching how to generate relationships that promote a win-win dynamic. Since I started to consume his content, my life has changed quite a bit. I definitely feel more respected, and all my relationships have improved on all levels, romantically, although I have not yet found a person with whom there has been enough compatibility to want to have that person as a stable partner, and I still have much to improve, I definitely feel that I have become more attractive to people. In my last job, considering there weren't many staff members (about 30-35 workers including supervisors and the manager), I ended up being (romantically/sexually) liked by 14 people (8 women, 6 men), and in that job, I dated my second partner. I still make many mistakes, and there are deeper issues that require professional help, but the truth is that my life has undoubtedly improved a lot. I am a person who really takes the time to learn and truly integrate into myself what I have learned, and it has taken me years to consolidate the knowledge in Seduction University. As I said before, I haven't finished it, and it will probably take me many more months (maybe years) to consolidate the information there and what I still have not read yet in the course (not to mention the hyperlinks he provides to dig really deep in some topics). I want to improve even more in my life, and that’s why I decided to buy Power University. From lesson one, I already started finding very valuable knowledge; I haven't gone far into the course, and it would be dishonest to give my opinion, but I feel that, like Seduction University, Power University will also be very worthwhile. The book "Ultimate Power" also has hidden gems (at the moment, I am reflecting a lot on what it explains about cultivating an antifragile ego). I decided not to buy more courses or books because it will probably take me more than a year to consume all the content and much longer to make it my second nature. Although I like to diversify my knowledge and will continue learning about synergistic topics about personal growth, I would like to prioritize finishing both courses (at least "the reading part" the "superficial effort part"), besides dedicating the rest of my efforts to deep-reflective inner work, developing a physique that I feel happy with, and creating my own business that will allow me to help more people and animals in the future.
I hope the knowledge you find in any of TPM’s resources changes your life as much as it changed mine. Of course, it’s important to learn from different people and not become obsessed with a single philosophy. There are things you won’t find in Lucio’s material that could be very useful in your life and your specific problems/challenges, and you shouldn’t overlook them. Additionally, learning from different people with different perspectives will help you be more flexible and have a better chance of achieving the things you want in life. Find someone who shares their knowledge with you and who makes you reflect, and when you notice that that person starts repeating ideas, it's time to move on and look for new people who can help you out of your stagnation. Remember, every piece is important along the way, and it's important to be grateful to every person you meet because everyone has a valuable lesson to teach you (especially when that person has a different perspective than yours).
I'll probably spend many more years learning from Lucio until I finish integrating the knowledge he offers (although as he will most likely keep adding more content and learning things on his own, I will surely visit his blog or YouTube channel from time to time like visiting an old and dear friend and teacher whom I admire and respect).
I would like to make a final mention to John from customer service. He is a charming person and attended to me very well every time I contacted customer service. It feels like talking to a good friend; the service is fast, he is respectful, he has manners, and from start to finish he was very attentive in keeping his word every time he told me he would respond within a certain time frame. You can't really get to know a person in customer service, but from all the times I talked to him, he seemed competent, warm, and generous. John deserves a raise; he’s a really great guy :)

• Single/Taken/Complicated: single
• Seeking Relationship/Friends/Squish/Other: Relationship
• Romantic Orientation: Hetroromantic (Sex-Positive/Neutral) kissing and cuddles are grand.
• Gender: Cis-Male
• Pronouns: he/his
• Age: 38
• Height/Build: 6'1", large but trying hard to loose weight
• Physical Description: short redish brown hair, steel grey eyes
• Personality Description: Loyal, Laidback, and somewhat adventurous.
• Location: Sydney, Australia

BONUS INFO:

• Religious Views: Blessed are the Cheese-makers. (Well, obviously, this is not meant to be taken literally. It refers to any manufacturer of dairy products.)
• Political Views: Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government. Supreme executive power derives from a mandate from the masses, not from some farcical aquatic ceremony.
• Smoking/Drugs: Nope
• Alcohol: I have been known to partake in the occasional social libation
• Myers Briggs: ISTP

I am generally a pretty laid back kind of guy, who gets along with just about everyone. I work hard during the week, in a role with a lot of variety, as such I do like to spend weekends relaxing & chilling out, with that said, it isn't too hard to get me to head to the beach, into the mountains, or even just going for a random drive on the weekend. Although I am an introvert in the sense I get my energy from my alone time, I am otherwise pretty sociable.
During my Canada trip I became addicted to skiing, so bonus points for ladies who love the snow. I have become a very active person of late, & while I don't need someone to push/motivate me, it would be nice to meet someone who I can enjoy my new found fitness and activeness with. I want to do more hiking in the future.
I am a homebody, I love doing dinner parties, there is nothing like cooking up a storm (I cook a kick ass paella, and my BBQ ribs are to die for), then sitting back with a few drinks, good friends, and telling tall tales about crazy times, like when in a moment of inspired insanity I went swimming in Lake Cootapatamba whilst completely surrounded by snow. FYI 10/10, would swim again.
Send me a DM, lets meet up at some funky cafe, get to know one another, worst that can happen is we get to meet some new interesting people & maybe even make a new friend, possibly more. Also, kids don't scare me, so single mums don't be afraid to say hi.
Looking for: Honesty, communication, and commitment. Any woman, who gives these to me, will get them in return. I'm looking for a woman who can be my best friend and my confidant. I want a woman who knows what she wants in life, who is passionate about her beliefs and interests, with a positive outlook. Oh and most importantly some one who hates CoriandeCilantro like it is the living epitome of everything wrong in this world, or someone who's a good enough actor I'd never know the difference (Not entirely serious about this one. :P)
To those few brave souls who managed to make it this far, if you have a smile on your face right now, then send me a DM and tell me all about the craziest thing you ever did, or your favourite colour, I'm not picky.

So my story goes I had a friend for two years who lived next door. We had feelings for each other and she’d come and hang out with me most of the week after work or other projects. She dated someone and I took back my feelings and he came to live at the house and we remain friends for that year,
after they broke up, she came back to my world and spend more time with me and then at some moment she began to undress and sit patiently next to me as we explored a bit of foreplay.
I asked her. I’d like to kiss her and she accepted and we made very passionate love that night , in the following days we juggle between friendship and feelings and then over the three months we got quite close but she was leaving to go to another country and in that time she was arranged to meet someone who they’ve been having conversation over the phone,
a little bit confused I continue to engage with this woman who is my friend who we had a very understanding Connection and clear communication or should I step away?
There was a few signs that gave me that possibility that she was either not feeling anything or it was just platonic However on our way down before I said I would take it to the airport.
We spent more time together. I met her family and we journey closer again in the feelings of making love and exchanging words. now we never had been in a relationship status more situationship knowing that she was going to Costa Rica , and possibly going to meet someone else there as she was going away for six months she left her stuff in my house and she said that she would not see anyone when she’s there.
I kinda did not believe that but I had to accept as I was giving her a lot of my attention more than she was giving me. I started to sense and perhaps maybe I’m just being used and that her previous partner who I knew well also felt this with her and she was not being honest.
When that came she was feeling nervous and I asked her. Why are you feeling nervous? She said it’s because I am falling in love with you and I can’t do that.
I need to go away and don’t want to make this difficult for myself then I mentioned what about those other times she mentioned? Why do you think I was pulling away? It’s because I did not want to get attached and I did not want you to get attached because I’m going to Costa Rica
she made that very clear and that she wanted us to enjoy our time but keep it in a level of friendship.
I accepted but as she left I grew a deeper feelings and I was growing deep in the language of love using our pet names that we gave for each other , I wondered why however she never asked me to come to Costa Rica. I was capable of doing so I started to think. Maybe the other man was also the back of her mind and she had a possible connection with him over the conversations they had
providing her with a safe note to somewhere to stay as well as more financially secure than me two months later I sent her a call telling her I missed her.
I loved her and she replied. Hello Friend I have met someone now and and what turned into a friendship is blossoming into something more and now we are journey together love and light.
In that moment I had a freak out and mentioned to her well. Why didn’t you tell me it Was growing into something more weeks before why now …,
Her reply was because we were not boyfriend. girlfriend
She didn’t feel like she had to tell me anything about this man
I was well. We were just together for the last few months plus we were exchanging on the phone.
I don’t mind that you met someone but I don’t feel you really let me know in a thoughtful way for I had feelings she replied. I respect you had feelings
I was taken back by her wording as I was not really feeling the connection that we had before and the communication was poor and she always said she valued communication deeply. I felt like she was not been living up to that word so I text her again telling her well I don’t feel like you have communicated very clearly and almost feel like you’ve shut that down
Again she replied and her perspective. She did communicate Cleary in the beginning that she just wanted to be friends valued or friendship and and not meant to be hurtful. And that was it from there.
the classic response
I did the silly approach by Textung her. I loved her and all that jazz I realise there’s not much more I could do so I blocked her and removed her from Instagram and she was upset saying why did I do that? I told her because I don’t want to see someone I cared about in love being with someone else in the texting and so On it will suck .
just clearly putting up some of my boundaries she felt a little bit upset that I could not see this as a friendship and asked if she would take her things. I replied. You’re welcome to keep her things here and we’ll see each other later throughout the life enjoy your timing Costa Rica have fun and be well and I will see you again I’m sure and things have gone quiet.
Unfortunately I went on her Instagram to reconnect with her and I saw the love exchange with another man and from that point I’ve been working on myself trying to realise that perhaps there could be something more for us in the future or just to walk away from this ,
because it is a difficult situation for me right now seeing them in a romantic situation together or imagining them being together and myself struggling in a space where was spending a lot of time with her so what should I do in this situation? Should I just keep it as friendship and keep it open for possibility in the future if she takes comes back or do I just step away and just move on with my life and not worry too much about it and just remain friends?
It’s a bit confusing because I do feel quite deep for her and it’s quite upsetting that she doesn’t feel the same way at least I don’t feel she does cause she’s in Costa Rica having fun great job and she’s met someone fresh
part of me that the relationship was a rebound and the reason she didn’t want to go deeper within this type of relationship is that she may have felt she needed this time and place to go to Costa Rica just to let go of her story that was quite hurtful for her here and I also remind her of that story .due to the location I live ..
it’s been a month now and she did not text me

Hello all
Can anyone help me identify this old mac game from the mid 90s. I remember playing it on my old Performa. I think I got it on some mac demo disk with a magazine.
Genre: Sci-fi / Platform shooter
Estimated year of release: 1995ish
Graphics/art style: 2D platformer
Notable characters: You played as some muscle man soldier guy, he looked a bit like Arnie.
Notable gameplay mechanics: I remember it was set on top of tall rooftops, there were swinging red girders you could use to move across the levels. There were lifts going up and down too. You had a minigun to shoot enemies but I cant remember what they looked like.
Other details: When you died there was a little sound effect/cut scene from your boss shouting something like "What am I supposed to do now, send flowers"?

Someone here about a month ago asked for a summary or notes on Sheras teachings and I cant seem to find it anymore, so I will list here some of the things I have noted.
• Have a goal in mind
• Stay feminine
• Dont talk about your personal business, family/exes/private personal life heavy on the exes!
• if he tries to have sex immediately and he’s all sex sex sex just tell them ”Okay maybe this isn’t going to work out, but I have the perfect friend for you who likes your type. Her name is Alexa, I’ll send her number to you. She is soo free spirited” or just blatantly ask for money if he’s that rude.
• if he asks for your body count, ask about his bank account (only dusties ask this)
• He needs to like you more than you like him
• Spend his money
• Allow him to cheat, dont try to control any man
• All men are the same, their income isn’t
• Whatever comes out of a mans mouth, reverse it
• If you want him to love you, love yourself not him
• Men want what they cant have
• Emotions and fighting. Treat him like your boss in that sense, you dont get messy with your boss either.
• Emotions are better if you act them
• Laugh at his jokes
• Let him do the talking, and dont correct him. You want to make him feel good about himself around you.
• Tell them you dont have sex outside of relationships
• Exculisivity costs money, you’re not 3rd graders with post-it cards asking to be their girlfriend.
• If they say something you dont like give them an ugly look
• If he doesnt fix his issues within a week he’s a dusty. (E.g car breaks down etc.)
• ”I don’t deal with men who cant keep their word and are secretly broke”
• Dusties run away on their own if given a financial burden
• Always have a financial problem as a reason why you havent texted back or are unable to see them.
• Don’t be too available
• I look for what a man can do for me, offer me. I make him feel good, and elevate him
• When he makes time for you, you make time for him. And make sure that your time is being compensated, wheter it’s experience or material, or money
• Have several options
• It’s all about him stroke his ego
• You are the prize !!!!
• Ask him for help for free stuff first then he doesn’t have a problem with problems that cost
• Pay attention to details and make mental notes about him
• Dont sleep on the first date
• You cant change a dusty, a dusty will change themselves
• Be their weakness
• Say ”I’m very attracted to you” to ugly men
• Be emotionally reclusive
• Let him pick the place for the date but know in advance so you can ghost if it’s a cheap coffee shop
• Believe the red flags
• Talk slow and sensual
• Act like you dont need him at all
• Only being sexual, giving sex, talking about sex, initiating sex is being a pickmeisha. Use your other assets, such as voice, eyes, body language, humor, appearance
• If you want to be a pickmeisha, be one to a bank account
• Confidence and being the prize is in your mind, there is no tutorial for it
• Dont outshine him in gift giving
• If you’re talking and he’s not listening, ask ”Do you hear me? I want your opinion on this you’re so smart after all” you train him subconciously to listen and react to you while giving him a compliment
• Everytime you stress about a man, wheter he’s seeing other people etc. Reverse it. Why isn’t he stressed about you?
• You can be a pickmeisha to get their attention if you immediatly go back to yourself
• Dont carry the conversation
• Men tend to be seduced by looks, women by words. Be careful he’s not all talk, but actions too.
• When they give you the silent treatment, you act like they arent giving you the silent treatment because youre not talking to him anyway and that way it wont work on you
• ”Oh baby yeah I cant wait it’s just going to be so great, but I have to get to know you a little better first. It makes it more passionate for me, and I know you want to please me, right? I cant just sleep with anybody I barely know, it’s not exciting for me.”
• He should have more than 1 income
• Date dusties and for fun when young, start dating for funds at 23
• If he tries to come back, have a list of things you want and make him complete all of them.
• Play dumb
• If you playing the game correctly you shouldn’t be worried about commitment
• ”How you doing?” ”Oh I was doing bad but now that you called I’m feeling much better”
• Being unbothered holds actual power
• If a man ghosts you or has other options you dont care
• Dont approach men, but you can always pass them the ball
•In order to take things slow with a man you need to have high values
• My brain doesnt understand less
• ”It’s been a while since I met a handsome succesful man that’s not afraid to impress a woman”

DC Next Proudly Presents:

THE NEW TITANS

In Shadow of Kestrel
Issue Nine: War Dove
Written by AdamantAce, GemlinTheGremlin & PatrollinTheMojave
Edited by Deadislandman1 and Voidkiller826
 
Next Issue > Coming Next Month
 
 
“Raven!”
Slade’s gruff voice pierced through the deafening, wave-like roars in Raven’s head, but the rage was too much to bear. Her hands sizzled as hellfire danced in her palms, her body readying for another attack. She locked eyes with a reptilian soldier, dismounting his simian steed and charging on foot, but as she lunged forwards to strike him, she watched a man fly into her path. Slade Wilson caught the young Titan’s hand and pushed, throwing Raven backwards.
“Come on, kid, snap out of it!” But as Slade’s words fell on deaf ears, he felt the familiar sting of a fist to his jaw, a crack echoing in his ears. He recoiled from the attack but powered through his injury and stood his ground. Sinking his heels into the ground, he locked eyes with the girl before him. Her face seemed contorted and uncanny, as if all of the rage she was feeling was pouring out of her. She groaned angrily as she thrusted her head downwards, her forehead making contact with Slade’s teeth, before pulling her head back up again in preparation for another attack.
Before she could make one, however, one of the lizardmen had almost reached the warring duo’s sides, and as he lunged forward with his long spear, he made contact with Raven’s side. A small rip formed in the side of Raven’s outfit, which seemed to only anger her further. However, it did seem to distract her enough; Mar’i fired off a single Starbolt which struck only the ground - a warning shot.
“Raven! Please!” the half-Tamaranean cried out. But the Raven she knew was buried under unfathomable amounts of fury; she ignored her teammate’s call and instead flew forwards and swung out at the reptiloid. The strike glowed with red flame, sending the creature skidding across the floor, barely conscious. Slade spotted a flash of something else on her face, as if she was finally able to fight back against the endless rage - pain, perhaps, or anguish. But in an instant, it was gone.
That flicker of something other than white-hot anger was enough for Slade.
He clutched his side as his still open wound began to ache, the bandages feeling wet with fresh blood. His jaw felt crooked, and as he gritted his teeth, it felt as though they sat differently atop each other. And yet, he clutched his staff tightly in one hand, and with the other he beckoned to Raven.
“Kid, you’re fighting it, I know you are!” Slade felt his mouth filling with blood rather than saliva.
Within a moment, Raven’s attention was locked on the white-haired man once again. She fired bolt after bolt of black and red flame, but Slade was still dextrous despite his pain. He dodged and dived, weaving through the fire, until he finally managed to make contact with his opponent. He drove his staff into her chest and pushed his weight against the weapon, forcing her backwards. She rose into the air, a black mist pouring from her arms and over her face, a large ghostly corvid taking her place. He felt the deathly cold shadow of the bird’s wing fall over him, his feet leaving the ground as she scooped him into the air.
He looked down at the ground far beneath him. A fall from this height would kill anyone, he thought, let alone someone beaten half to death.
Then, as a verdant bolt of energy struck it in the side, Raven’s Soul Self shrieked and the shadows retreated inwards. Slade felt himself falling through the air for a second, then two, before he felt his back collide with something soft and cushioned. As he looked up, he met the gaze of Conner, who soared to the ground in an instant, placing the snow-haired man on the ground and giving a swift nod.
Raven let out a pained, frustrated yell as she returned to the ground, aided by a grappling line expertly positioned by Tim, and in response, Conner jetted off towards the sound of her cries. Slade’s feet faltered beneath him, and he stumbled to keep his balance. His breathing was laboured and his vision was becoming fuzzy. It felt as though, he realised, all the blood loss and violence he had suffered over the past few hours were finally catching up to him. Was this what dying felt like?
“Slade!” shouted a voice, followed by the dulled drumming of hurried footsteps. Slade pulled his hand across his face to wipe away the mental haze and drops of blood. It was Don, sprinting towards him. When Slade felt Don clasp him by shoulders, he realized just how slowed he was by his injuries. “Plan?” Slade coughed out.
“You’ve seen what she can do. I only see one way out of these without one of the kids getting hurt. I’d do it myself, but I’m out of practice and this is too important to leave to chance.” Don looked around anxiously, his face betraying that he had a lot on his mind. “I’m giving you the powers of a god.” Slade opened his mouth to ask a question, a million came to mind. He glanced across the battlefield. Through a blurry film, he saw Raven’s Soul Self bat Conner away with its wing. He careened into the trunk of a thick tree, uprooting it with a deep crunch. “Are you sure?,” Slade asked, breathless.
“I’m not losing another Titan.” Don squeezed his eyes shut. His grip on Slade tightened as pale, almost blinding light enveloped them. It felt warm. No, better than that: it felt peaceful. With his enhanced senses, Slade could hear his erratic heartbeat slow. Fleeting visions bubbled up in his mind, opening up his awareness beyond the wildest dreams of Project Veritas. He felt rivers of magical energy flowing through the air and earth. Each of them spiralled towards a depression. Towards Raven, he knew instinctively. Iridescent blue light spread outward from his shoulders. It washed over his body armor, bleaching the jet black panels until his entire body shone with radiance. The pain from wounds old and new faded, replaced by serenity - and power. Don opened his eyes again and sighed gently; a concoction and joy, relief, and quiet mourning.
“There,” Don remarked. Slade felt lighter, less angry, less burdened. He looked down at the iridescent light enveloping his body. Magical energy buzzed against the surface of his skin. “The powers of the Dove - officially yours.”
Slade sucked in a nervous breath. “Don…” Even rejuvenated, he was still lost for words.
“They’re yours now,” Don smiled weakly. “Now go earn them. There’s a Titan in dire need of our help.”
Conner floated out of the dense jungle, rubbing his forehead. “Is Slade glowing or do I have a concussion?”
Slade looked over at Raven. She seemed less erratic, her movements driven by her brain rather than her gut. Tim’s staff batted fiercely against her, each strike buffeting her back more and more, but it was clear to Slade that Raven was not any weaker physically - her mind, however, was another story.
Slade began marching towards her, the ache in his side dulled. “Raven. You’re strong. Fight this rage inside of you.” Raven glared at him, a spark of something in her eyes, as she swooped in towards him at top speed. As she neared him, however, Slade readied his staff, stretching it out in front of him. As the tip of the weapon struck Raven, a beam of white energy coursed through her, as if she had been struck by lightning, and her body was flung backwards across the dirt.
Slade danced a hand over his rifle, but something felt different. He pulled it into his hands and inspected it swiftly; nothing seemed out of order. Raven rose slowly from her supine position, snarling softly to herself. Her movements had slowed, the expression on her face becoming closer to horror than rage. She was doing it.
“You’re nearly there, kid,” Slade soothed, his words suddenly like butter. He watched Raven’s shoulders start to relax. “That’s it. Just fight this, Raven. You’re almost there.”
Despite her tremendous progress, Raven’s blistering fury won out once more, and she charged a large bolt of hellfire in her hands. Slade fiddled with his rifle and crossed his fingers. There was a standstill between the two. Slade analysed his rifle again; there was something different about the barrel, as if it had been swapped out for another similar model. The stock felt lighter, too, as if the weight had been–
Raven roared at him, swiping wildly with glowing fists, and in an instant Slade instinctively pulled the trigger.
What fired from the gun was not a silvery bullet, but a familiar glowing bolt of white light, cloud-like in appearance. As it struck Raven, she sucked in a deep breath, the energy engulfing her. Her face softened and her posture relaxed. Then she swung out for the man’s weakened side, his bandages poking through the aura of light. And yet, as he stayed steadfast, not even attempting to dodge the attack. Sparks flew from the point of contact. Slade just readied another shot and fired.
Her body swayed with the blow. Slade closed the gap between them and focused on the new warmth he felt, concentrating it into his staff as best he could. Then, as he held it out in front of him at arm’s length, he swiped at Raven and struck her in the side of the shoulder. Each blow seemed to be more effective than the last, but as Raven’s movements continued to slow, Slade held fire.
“You’re doing it, Raven,” Slade encouraged. He watched as the other Titans surrounded Raven, each of them ready for any further attacks. Everyone watched with bated breath as their teammate and friend thrashed and recoiled from the hit. Her breathing was rapid, although it felt closer to panic than unabashed fury. She clasped her hands over her head, groaning. Then, suddenly, she stopped.
Her face had softened completely, her jaw slack, and tears filled her vision. She looked up at Slade with a comfort in her eyes. The aura emanating from him was pervasive and contagious, and although she had felt lost in a sea of impossibly vast emotions, its warmth and comfort cut through. The anger was still there somewhat, the last remaining dregs still working its way out of her system, but the comfort, the peace that Slade was providing was the anchor for her to stabilise herself. She had only ever seen this kind of power when Don…
Raven’s eyes widened as she realised what that meant. She collapsed to her knees, suddenly feeling the bone-deep fatigue her rage had suppressed. Her teammates rushed in around her. Mar’i dropped to a knee by her side and put a hand on her shoulder. “It’s OK. You’re safe. Everyone’s OK.”
“Don I’m—” She wiped away a stream of tears, stumbling her way out of the emotional vortex she’d been sucked into. “I’m so sorry. I don’t know what happened. I’ve lost control before, but never like this.”
Don looked older. Creases ran across his forehead and around his eyes. His smile hadn’t changed. “Raven, my brother and I got those powers when I was a kid. We didn’t ask for them. We weren’t ready for them. We didn’t know how to use them, let alone control them.” He laughed dryly, recalling Hank. “I don’t regret anything. Giving my powers to Slade is the best thing I’ve done with them in years. I know Hank would feel the same way.”
In the moment of silence that followed, Raven rose to her feet and pulled her cloak tightly around herself. She was still shaking. Tim’s eyes drifted from her to Slade. “Something’s gnawing at me. Kestrel’s powers are weakened in Skartaris. Don’s…” He coughed, “Slade’s powers are amplified. If this place is what affected you—”
Mar’i’s face flashed with recognition, “—your powers must be tied to the Lords of Order and Chaos!”
Tim furrowed his brow. “Maybe.” He hardly had time to consider further when a thundering crack tore open the sky. Two bolts of swirling energy - one red and one blue - met above them, forming a swirling portal at their vertex. The Titans readied their weapons, expecting the worst.
“It’s them.” Slade murmured, still put off by his uncanny awareness. Terataya and T’Charr descended from the sky, one wreathed in mist, the other, magma. The two elementals stopped a few feet above the ground, hovering.
Terataya was the first to speak. Even at a whisper, her voice reverberated through the air. “I don’t usually care for surprises, Don, but this was a pleasant one.” A thin smile appeared on her face.
“Slade Wilson.” Terataya’s neck turned at an unnatural angle to face him. “You wield the powers of Order with great skill. Who understands the dangers of unchecked War better than a soldier. Become my champion. Protect the balance.”
Slade took a step back, then glanced at Don.
“She’s right.” Don said, with only a hint of hesitation. “It took me years to use the powers like you used them today. You’re a natural.”
Slade looked at his hands, still gently pulsing with pale blue light. “Thanks.” He allowed himself a weak smile. “But no thanks.”
“What.” T’Charr’s voice boomed.
“It doesn’t take Zatanna to realize an old soldier like me makes a piss-poor Avatar of Peace. I fight for a living, and I’m not deluded enough to think that makes me good at anything but fighting. If you want someone who understands the need for balance, Don just sacrificed everything special about him for it.”
Don raised an eyebrow. “None taken.”
“His actions today were noble, but they do not make up for years spent squandering the gift.”
“Squandering? The Titans wouldn’t exist today if he hadn’t pulled them together. Everything they’ve done. Everything they’ve achieved for your balance wouldn’t have happened without him, including stopping that monster you made.”
“Watch your tone, mortal.” T’Charr threatened.
“There may be a vein of truth to his words, lover.” Terataya said. “But *if we were to restore Don Hall’s power, we would need assurances. His indecision led down this path.”*
Rocks ground against each other as T’Charr landed beside Don. “You would have weeks, not years, to select a counterpart and return to your duties.”
Don’s response was instantaneous. “I’ve made a decision.”
“You’ve decided if you’ll take up the mantle of Dove again?”
Don nodded. “And who should be the new Hawk.”
Terataya giggled. “Full of surprises today. T’Charr?”
“We should discuss this.” He said. “In private.”
The three of them vanished, leaving the Titans and Slade alone on a battlefield riddled with bits of dino meat and ape fur.
 
○○ Ⓣ ○○
 
“You don’t think they’re gonna come back in like, 200 years, right?” Conner asked. He sat beside the depowered Slade Wilson, who was downing aspirin to make up for the sudden deficit in peace energy.
“I don’t know.” Tim said. “But we should give them more than fifteen minutes.”
As if on cue, the skies opened again. Again, the chromatic energy lit the sky and again a portal opened its swirling maw. This time, however, it wasn’t two elemental Lords to descend. Raven squinted to make the figures out.
“Oh my god.” Conner said, having a far easier time with his super-vision.
“What? Who is it?” Tim asked.
“Donna!” Mar’i shouted. She shot off the ground towards her. Her black combat armor was replaced with a crimson and white bodysuit studded with stars that seemed to twinkle as the light shifted around her. The sword at her side was gone too, replaced with a coiled loop of rope suffused with the same brilliant energy. The two collided into an embrace, spinning through the air as they held each other tightly.
Don was the first to land, restored with the powers of Dove. He looked stronger than ever, and maybe more importantly, happier. Even Tim’s typical thoughtful brooding has been pierced by an unimpeachable joy.
“I don’t understand,.” Raven said. “S-She’s alive. How is this possible?”
“I knew there was only one person who could be trusted with the powers of War, with Hank’s abilities.” He scratched the back of his neck, a bit guilty. “And she’d been staring me in the face for years. It took some doing, but eventually T’Charr and Terataya saw that too.”
Donna landed beside him, Mar’i only a step behind. By now Conner had stepped forward. He tried not to choke over his words. “I’m sorry. If I’d—”
Donna didn’t let him get the words out before pulling him into a grapple-turned-hug that quickly grew as the rest of the team piled in. Slade flicked another aspirin into his mouth.
“Danyah!” A voice called out from over the ridge. It was Travis, mounted atop a fanged reptilian creature in the vague shape of a horse and flanked on either side by his gold-armored honor guard. He broke into a gallop, stopping just short of the Titans. “When I saw the skies, I feared the worst. Is it really you? Has sorcery brought you back to us?”
“It’s me, Travis. A Lord of Chaos brought me back.”
“Not to interrupt,.” Slade said, still nursing his wounds. “But did either of you ask them to bring us back to Chicago?”
“I…” Don grimaced. “Donna, how do we get home?”
“How did you get here? Surely you could return the way you came.” Travis said.
“No, we can’t.” Tim said, pressing a few buttons on his wrist’s holographic display. “Whatever magic pervades Skartaris is also causing some extreme time dilation. I can’t guarantee we’d return to the 21st century, or even to Earth.”
“I spent a decade in Skartaris and returned to Earth nearly two centuries later. It’s the influence of Chaos. We’d need a Skartaran mage of overwhelming power to stabilize our return.” She spat the word mage with disgust. Travis’s expression seemed to confirm the reputation of Skartaran spellcasters.
Before their anxiety could spiral, the sky above began to churn. Moments later, the ground shook as a violent bolt of lightning cleaved the air, striking with such ferocity that all but Conner and Donna were flung backward. Mar'i skidded across the damp undergrowth, her senses overwhelmed by the acrid scent of ozone. Her mind was racing; their victory was hard fought, and she doubted they had much left in the tank for another confrontation. She dug her hands into the ground and pushed herself up as she choked from the smell. The Warlord Morgan and his military guards snapped to attention, forming a protective ring around the crater that now marred the earth.
From the smoking pit, a figure rose, unfolding from a crouch like something out of Terminator. Adorned in a red and white jumpsuit that accentuated his lithe build, the young man's appearance was marked by a red cowl and goggles, with sandy brown hair rebelliously spilling out.
Conner squinted through the dissipating smoke, murmuring under his breath, “A speedster?” The Flashes had had a variety of different sidekicks and other allies over the years, but none of them recognised this one
With a nonchalant flair that seemed at odds with the charged atmosphere, the newcomer greeted them. “Hey, everyone chillax. I'm here to get you guys back home.”
Donna, ever the leader, stepped forward and spoke with a commanding curiosity, now emboldened with the war aura of Hawk. “And who are you exactly? Why should we trust you with such a claim?”
Flashing a cheeky grin, he tilted his head and responded, “Well, I’m a speedster for one. Name’s Impulse. If I run fast enough, then I can… well, I guess bend time.”
Behind Donna, the group exchanged sceptical glances. Raven's face remained shadowed by recovery, Mar'i and Conner braced for action, and Tim discretely checked his gadgets, no doubt for something that he could use on a speedster should the need arise.
“Yeah, we figured that much,” Don cut through the tension, his voice calm yet insistent. “Who sent you?”
Impulse chuckled, his demeanour remaining unfazed by their scrutiny. “Look, the details aren't the fun part. Trust me, I can get us back.”
As a silence thick with doubt and scepticism settled over the group, Impulse seemed to realise his casual assurances weren't sufficient. With a theatrical sigh, he reached up and removed his mask, revealing a face familiar to both Mar'i and Raven.
“Brody!?” Mar'i exclaimed, her surprise echoing through the clearing as she stared at the boy who had once hobbled through their college classes with his leg in a cast.
The young man’s grin widened, his eyes sparkling with mischief and a hint of pride. “Actually, it’s Bart.”
 
○○ Ⓣ ○○
 
When Slade emerged from the shower, his skin was glistening with moisture, the water tracing the contours of his scars. He wrapped a stark white towel around his waist, and crossed the plush carpet to sit on the edge of the hotel room bed. He released a slow, deep breath; it was a good job the speedster kid arrived when he did. The notion of being stranded in an alien land or, worse, a different time had gnawed at him with a ferocity that was hard to admit. Without Bart’s intervention, every one of Slade’s meticulously crafted plans would have been utterly dashed.
Facing him, a wall-mounted mirror caught his rugged reflection. Drawn to his own image, Slade studied the scars that mapped his trials, the slick white hair that crowned his head, and the deep lines etched into his face. A familiar discomfort nagged at him, focusing his attention on his right eye. Unable to alleviate the irritation through the skin, Slade exhaled heavily and carefully removed the eye altogether. The movement, fluid and practised, spoke of years of adaptation.
He placed the prosthetic gently on the bed beside him and as he massaged the socket, a decades-old habit, his mind wandered. He wasn't accustomed to keeping the prosthetic in for extended periods. Showering with it had been an uncomfortable experiment in necessity - he didn't like it, but understood the importance of maintaining the facade. The Slade he would have people believe he was would have never lost an eye, because that Slade had led a life far from by the darker paths Slade had truthfully trodden.
His thoughts wandered to his brief time wielding the potent powers of Dove, and Slade felt a twinge of regret at their loss. The clarity and strength those powers had provided were intoxicating, yet he recognised that he had a more important goal, one he couldn’t compromise. His current role demanded not the accumulation of power but the perfection of his deceit, ensuring that all believed he was not the Slade Wilson they knew, but a Reawakened, more innocent doppelganger.
Now, with the glass eye resting beside him, Slade stared at his unmasked visage. Maintaining the myth of the noble Slade was critical. The ruthless mercenary, the World’s Deadliest Killer - those identities had to remain buried. The Titans had believed him enough to entrust him with divine powers, their faith a testament to his performance, but the game was far from over; in fact, it was entering its most critical phase.
 
 
Next: Return to normality in The New Titans #10
 

I just want to start off by saying that any judgement to this post is unwelcome, because I have already gone through every emotion and self-judgement possible. For the sake of the story and staying anonymous, My best friend’s name will be Hannah and my boyfriend’s name will be Lucas.
Hannah and I were friends for about 2 years. I was never as close with Lucas as I was with her, but we were friends, talked sometimes and played games together in groups. Hannah and I talked everyday, had an awesome friendship and related on many subjects.
She had always struggled with her mental health. She had an abusive family and talked about committing suicide just about everyday, in the joking way that everyone does, so unfortunately everyone in her life had looked past it. I had spent countess hours comforting her, but her support that she needed from her family and professionally just wasn’t there. In late 2022, she ended up committing suicide.
I was horrified. Spent months crying in my room, barely eating, looking at old messages and photos between me and her wondering how the hell I missed the signs. I even reached out to her family, whom I’ve never talked to before, and sent condolences.
The one who told me that Hannah had passed away that night, was her boyfriend, Lucas. Even though I was feeling everything I was, I couldn’t help but feel even worse for him, because I just couldn’t fathom imagining my first girlfriend of 1 year killing herself, and the police showing up to the door to tell you.
I was there for him in the following months more than I was for myself. I never used to talk to him frequently, but we were there for each other, comforting each other through texts and calls everyday. Reminding each other to eat and drink water. Talking about how much we missed her, how we couldn’t fathom the fact she was actually gone forever, and all the pain and regrets that come with losing someone. Him and I knew her the best, and were closest with her, so we understood each other perfectly.
From what was once acquaintances turned into close friends, throughout the entirety of 2023. Lucas and I were both going through hell when it came to love, because I had just left an extremely toxic and abusive relationship, and he had lost his girlfriend to suicide. We found ourselves relating to the struggle of feeling like we could never love anyone again. We helped each other heal through this.
Then comes November 2023, and suddenly what was close friends was turning into a… “situation”. Very flirty undertones in our texts and speech. Sending each other couples posts. Basically everything we could say to each other but pass off as “oh, but in a friend way”, we were doing. That month felt very slow-burn-like. He even sent me handwritten letters and packages, filled with gifts and treats. Ordering me food regularly and loving to see me happy. The day after Christmas, Lucas confessed that he had feelings for me, and that I had “sparked feelings in him that he never thought he could feel again.” I couldn’t help but feel the same.
I went through a lot of guilt at this point for feeling this way. Wondered often if the only reason he had those feelings for me, was only because I reminded him of Hannah. But I am very confrontational, and wasn’t afraid to talk that out with him. He told me what he saw in me was completely new, and that the more he talked to me over the year, the more he grew to love me for me.
Ever since, we have had the most healthy and beautiful relationship. Lucas is the most understanding and caring man I’ve ever met in my life, and he’s absolutely everything I could hope for in a partner.
It’s also worth mentioning that being with him has helped me improve myself as a human being. I was in the same boat as Hannah before she passed, struggling with suicidal thoughts and even trying to end my own life. But being with Lucas made those feelings evaporate, because I could never, in a million years, do that to him. Seeing the pain firsthand that suicide brings to others is an experience I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy, but it also makes you truly understand the depth of actually ending your own life. I’ve never even thought about it since losing Hannah.
I love Lucas. It’s definitely weird and funny, the way the world works out. You can call me whatever you want for loving him, but I think after what we both experienced through losing her, we deserve to be happy and improve as people.

Hey! I'm STARR (All caps as a reference to MFDOOM the rapper) and I'm looking for a superhero based RP!! I'm looking for a fun romance roleplay set in the universe of DC, Marvel or our own kind of made up universe. I'm looking for a mix of action and romance, with romance being the main theme. I don't really play canon characters, but I would really like to do an OC x canon character roleplay with anyone willing to play a canon character from DC or Marvel, but I'm not against doing OC x OC! I just have to really like the characters lol. I really like Spider-Man (almost any version tbh) and would like to do a RP based around Spider-Man or even the Spider-Verse! My personal favourite Spider-Person is Hobie/Spider-Punk, so I think a RP with him would be fun! I do have plot ideas made and can play multiple characters! My kind of character would be kind of like the trope of a non-hero dating a hero. I would love a story including your character hiding their identity from mine for their own safety. For DC I don't really have a preference for characters since I am less versed in my knowledge of their characters, so I am open to any suggestions for what character you would like to play! (same with marvel too, it doesn't just have to be Spider-Man, it can be any hero you suggest as long as I like them too). I do really like in character Batman and Superman, so if those were ones you'd like to play sure! I mainly do LGBTQ+ pairings, but I am open to doing hetero relationships. please send me a dm if interested!!

Hey! I'm STARR (All caps as a reference to MFDOOM the rapper) and I'm looking for a superhero based RP!! I'm looking for a fun romance roleplay set in the universe of DC, Marvel or our own kind of made up universe. I'm looking for a mix of action and romance, with romance being the main theme. I don't really play canon characters, but I would really like to do an OC x canon character roleplay with anyone willing to play a canon character from DC or Marvel, but I'm not against doing OC x OC! I just have to really like the characters lol. I really like Spider-Man (almost any version tbh) and would like to do a RP based around Spider-Man or even the Spider-Verse! My personal favourite Spider-Person is Hobie/Spider-Punk, so I think a RP with him would be fun! I do have plot ideas made and can play multiple characters! My kind of character would be kind of like the trope of a non-hero dating a hero. I would love a story including your character hiding their identity from mine for their own safety. For DC I don't really have a preference for characters since I am less versed in my knowledge of their characters, so I am open to any suggestions for what character you would like to play! (same with marvel too, it doesn't just have to be Spider-Man, it can be any hero you suggest as long as I like them too). I do really like in character Batman and Superman, so if those were ones you'd like to play sure! I mainly do LGBTQ+ pairings, but I am open to doing hetero relationships. please send me a dm if interested!!

So this is kind of awkward actually because the guy is actually my step-cousin. But I had a crush on him when we were kids and for the past two years we have been talking a lot. We facetime every night, play games together, visit each other in our respective states, etc. He is constantly sending me tweets, memes, tiktoks, texting me throughout the day and I do the same to him. We talk more than I talk to my own friends.
He has made lots of flirty comments in the past when drunk about my looks and we tell eachother we love eachother. It feels a bit different from my relationship with my actual cousins, or even my other step-cousins who I usually would just say a quick "love ya!" if I said it at all. At one point when we were both drunk and on a group call with his friends I jokingly asked if he had a crush on me and he said "Kinda, yeah." and his friend goes "At least he finally admits it." His friends constantly make jokes that we secretly hook up or are in love with each other, but he either doesn't respond/changes the subject or just says something along the lines of "Oh my godddd..."
When telling my friends and close coworkers about everything he has been saying, even hearing us on the phone, they say they are all 100% convinced he has feelings for me. A few months ago after confiding in a coworker they told me to just straight up tell him I had feelings for him, because he thought it was obvious that there was something going on. I called him up and got scared and basically asked why his friends made those "jokes" and he said he didn't know, and if he knew his friends cousin's maybe he would make the same jokes. (I highly doubt that I feel like). I've tried hinting when he WASN'T tipsy but he just goes "Ohhhh, but we can't do that because we're cousins haha!!" and then I just feel super awkward.
At this point I'm not sure what to do anymore. On one hand, I feel like he does, but on the other, I feel like he doesn't and I'M the weird one. Is there any way I can figure out if he likes me without admitting my feelings first?!
tl;dr: i do not know how to tell if this man genuinely just likes my constant company as a friend or in a romantic sense.

I (35f) have found evidence that my mother who has been missing 20 years is still alive and is out and about. I have 4 siblings, Jane 37, Ann 33, Fran, 33, and Crystal 30. We were all raised together, even though some of us our half siblings. Jane and I are full siblings. I never really separated any of us because we all share the same my mom and were raised together so I just call every sister; sister. When I was 12 years old, my mother asked me a question “if you had to choose with being with me or your sisters, who would you rather be with?”. I remember telling my mom I would rather be with her, then a month later, she woke me up in the middle of the night and told me we were leaving. A bit a background, we were extremely poor, living in shelters or government assistance. There were many times we went to bed hungry, but sometime my mom would wake me up and take “us” (me and her) to get food. My mom was my everything from a very young age. Anything she believed in, thought or taught me, I retained over the years and found them to be important. Like “join the military, if you don’t know what you want to do” “treat every relationship like it will be you last (i.e. do everything to take care of your man). I did 4 years in the army, and every relationship, I put way more into than I should’ve. But in my eyes, these were things I was supposed to retained and respect. When I hit 13.5 years old, everything changed. In 2002, the state, government, DCS, CPS, DCFS, whatever it is in your state found me. They found me at school and took me away to live with my sisters and Grandfather (someone I was always told was dead). I finally saw my sisters again, I was happy about that. But it also came with its own set of problems. “Where have you been? What happened? Why did you?”, Ect, etc. Of course, I had no answers, the choice to pick my mom or them, I couldn’t say how it all went down in the beginning, keep in mind I was 12 to 14 in this whole process. After a while my sisters and I were able to get passed that decision I made. We ended up having “visitation” with my mother. She came to two visits, promised we would see her again and then disappeared. She reached out one other time after the 2nd visitation to tell ME, she was in the hospital for trying to kill herself, literally my last conversation with her. This happened in 2002/03, it all blurs this point in 2024. So they found out me with my sisters and grandfather (someone I remember my mother saying was dead already when I was with her). So my mother raised me until I was 13, and my grandfather took care of me from 14 to 24. Over the years, I would always try to look for her, I would used reverse address sites, stuff like “BeenVerified” “Truthfinder” and other reversed address websites. Anything I could afford to find her, never had enough money for a private investigator. But thought all the websites I never found substantial information. And I did this at least once every other year for about 14 years. It was devastating nothing ever panning out, but life goes on. May 2016, her father my grandfather passed away. He left $100,000, to each of his children. At the time I definitely thought, this is when I’ll see her again, this is when I’ll know what happened, because of course she will show up to get her inheritance…. Wrong… so wrong, she never popped up and just continued to be gone. Our original state is California. In Cali, if someone is missing for 5 years you can you can have the courts declare them deceased, it’s paperwork and exhausting, but also totally doable. I waited 8 years to start the process of trying to get the inheritance (it was never about the money, but in my mind, if it’s just there with the State, forget all that, give it to her struggling kids). So in January 2024 I started the process so me and all my sisters can get the inheritance. I was preparing documentation for the next court date and stumbled across a copy of my mother’s ID and birth certificate. I found it through the court because she was trying to get her inheritance exactly at the 5 year mark. I feel awkward. I prayed and hope for a long time that I would see her again, but after 20 years, I figured she must have died, People don’t just leave 5 children behind and forget about them…. Now that I was trying to better the lives of me and my sisters, now I find her information…. (It’s all too weird) I know life isn’t fair, and people have it better and worse than me. But I’m also like, what type of bullshit is this, I was finally ready to move on, now’s there’s a small glimmer of hope that I’ll see her again… you have got to be shitting me… I found her info a 2 days before Mother’s Day, just another slap in the face. So all that is the background to the AITA post. So now after explaining to 3 of my sisters that “she” found and I have an address for her, this is where the disconnect starts. Jane and Ann, wants nothing to do with her, they’re hurt, she left us, I get it, atleast to a certain extent. There’s so much hate because she disappeared. But myself and Fran, wants any and all information to understand what happened. It’s not normal to go AWOL so we want to know wtf happened. Unfortunately Crystal died in 2022, but she has explained her feelings before and she would definitely be on Jane and Ann side. Once again, I get it, we were all abandoned for over 20 years. I’m just a person that needs/ wants closure. And Fran is with me on that. Jane and Ann don’t want me to “poke the bear” there are completely over the situation, so when I mentioned reaching out, they both want absolutely nothing to do with it. And Jane doesn’t want me to reach out at all. But in my mind, I’ve been searching for years, so I want some contact if possible. So earlier today, I wrote a letter and sent that along of a copy of my youngest sister obituary to beg, super beg for my mom to respond me to try to have a relationship with her against my sisters wishes. I asked Jane and Ann for permission to send the letter, and the answer was pretty much “don’t do it”. I usually try to be super mindful of other peoples feelings and what they have been through ( I’m a Social Worker). But I felt like I couldn’t deny my feelings and I had to reach out. I’d be lying if I said I hated her, or didn’t want a real relationship with her. Over the years I started to say the same things as Jane and Ann, but I know part of that is believing I would never have the chance to see her again. But as of right now, that’s no longer the case. So AITA for reaching out to my estranged mother against my Sisters wishes?

Harry looked over at his mentor sitting up at the position of Headmaster and gave him a nod.
"There will be no interference from anyone. That goes for staff, too. Is that understood?" the Headmaster said with force.
"Yes Professor Tsung," came back the chorus of replies.
Across the Great Hall, Harry faced off with his nemesis. The Dark Lord Voldemort stood with a sneer on his face, wand drawn. "It is foolish of you to send Potter to face me alone. But I will certainly not object. My loyal Death Eaters, you will do nothing until the boy is dead at my hand."
The masked and robed wizards gave their acknowledgments with nods and a few scattered, "Yes, my lord's"
The Headmaster stood and yelled out, "Begin!"
There was a flurry of activity as Harry and Voldemort exchanged a dozen spells in quick succession. It started with bone breaking curses and cutting curses, then got much darker from there.
After a few seconds of being surprised by the fury and skill displayed by the seventeen year old, Voldemort began drawing from his repertoire of magic which he usually reserved for powerful opponents. He conjured a massive snake made of Fiendfyre.
A small smirk tugged at Harry's mouth upon seeing that spell. It was time for him to step up his own game.
In an instant, Harry's form blurred and warped, becoming a bit taller, a bit larger, a whole lot older, and exceedingly more flamboyant. Voldemort looked in shock as Albus Dumbledore stood before him.
'Albus' wasted no time in banter. He quickly twirled his wand, whistling all the while, and a flood of water sprang up from where he alone knew and overwhelmed the fire spell, dousing it before it could gain too much strength. Then the long-bearded wizard began transfiguring the tables and chairs into deadly soldiers, animated suits of armor, and turned the debris around him into deadly spears that hurled themselves at Voldemort unerringly.
The dark wizard screamed in anger, sending a shockwave of raw magic out to destroy the transfigured and conjured threats.
"No, this cannot be! You are dead!"
The form of the deceased Headmaster blurred and shifted, leaving Harry Potter standing there again. "So, he is, but he sends you his regards. He says he'll be seeing you soon."
The self-styled Dark Lord could not take that taunt. He jabbed his wand forward. "AVADA KEDAVRA!"
The green bolt flew towards Harry at an incredible speed, but the younger wizard side-stepped it. Then his form shifted again, this time into the form of his old, hated potions teacher. From his dark, billowing robes 'Severus Snape' pulled a few potions and downed them. He would need every advantage if he wanted to defeat this enemy.
But Voldemort laughed. "Snape? You should have chosen more wisely, Harry. You may have found my old faithful servant to be intimidating, but for me he was just a tool."
Having obtained the benefit he wanted from that form, Harry was all too glad to shed it. While Harry had not found the Potions Master intimidating since he had been training with his mentor, he did continue to loathe the man and being in his form was not at all enjoyable, despite what had happened at the end.
Harry shot off a few curses and dodged a few more, but this was getting him nowhere. He needed an edge. And there was one form he knew would give it to him.
A sudden blurring and Harry stood in a form sure to freak his opponent out. Voldemort's own evil red eyes stared back at the Dark Lord.
"Avada Kedavra!" "Avada Kedavra!"
The two cast at the same time, both barely dodging out of the way at the last second.
"You dare use my own form against me! I will destroy you the way I destroyed your parents you little--"
Harry's form blurred once--but faded into nothing immediately after. Appearing behind Voldemort he stretched out both of his hands and fired off a succession of flaming projectiles that caught the dark wizard mid-sentence.
The Dark Lord tried to rise, but he found it impossible. The attack had ruined him. Voldemort watched as Harry summoned his wand to him and snapped it in half as he strode over to him.
"Fool, you should not have started monologuing in the middle of Kombat," Headmaster Tsang Tsung said as Harry approached his fallen opponent.
Harry glanced up at the head table, careful to keep an eye on his enemy. That had been drilled into his head by his teacher.
"FINISH HIM!" the sorcerer commanded.
Harry grabbed the snaked-faced wizard with one hand, the other he raised above his head. "Your soul is mine!" Harry declared.
Sickly green magic poured from his hands into the man formerly known as Tom Marvolo Riddle, and then the energy poured back towards Harry, with what was left of Voldemort's soul along with it, back into Harry through his eyes and mouth. A ruined husk of withered and greyed flesh was all that was left of Voldemort's final body.
Gasps of shock and revulsion came from the Hogwarts teachers.
Harry rolled his eyes. "What?" he asked with a shrug of his shoulders.

Warning: Mentions of violence, blood, and some self harm near the end.
While browsing some random conspiracy site, I found what is a supposedly leaked file from the Nevada County Sheriff's Department; however, nothing has been confirmed. According to the OP, it is believed the following is the personal account of a 21 year old Jonathan Ashford of Grass Valley, California. Normally I would write stuff like this off but this one is...different. I’ve done my best to correct most of the grammar and misspelling while at the same time trying to avoid skewing the original account.
-September 15, 2022
I’ve never really been an outdoor person. Well, I guess that’s because I’ve never really been outdoors much in the first place. And that’s because I guess…I've never been invited? I don’t really have any friends. So, needless to say, I was surprised to find myself on a backpacking trip with a group of 5 other students from my university. The plan was five days in Tahoe National Forest some place called Mystery Lake. Monday-Friday. I don’t know why they decided to do it during the week. Most of us had okay grades at best and part time jobs on the side so taking a week off of it all seemed at the very least a bit irresponsible; and yet, I went anyway. Listen, I didn’t plan it, okay? This was one of my only chances to get to know people. The hike wasn’t too long but my genius self who had only been backpacking once when I was around 9 years old or so decided to carry 60 pounds of bullshit up the mountain resulting in my shoulders being sore and raw for the foreseeable future.
-10:11 PM
To be honest, I don’t really know why they let me come with them. I only know one of them and the group has been ignoring me for pretty much the entire trip. I was always bringing up the back on the hike in and I set up my tent outside of the main camp behind some trees. I haven’t eaten any meals with them or talked to them or, now that I think about it, anything really. Regardless. The trip has been an experience. Hopefully things get more exciting tomorrow.
-September 16
I’ve only ever slept in a tent a couple times so the new environment and lack of sleeping pills resulted in quite a restless night. I woke up at about eleven; everyone else was gone. I remembered they were talking about a day hike on a trail headed north so assuming that’s where they went, I hurried to get dressed and grabbed some granola bars. I’m about to head out. I hope I find them.
-12:21 PM
I’d been briskly walking for around an hour and was feeling quite exhausted so when I heard the group’s voices off in the distance I was very relieved. I started to jog in their direction when–when this jolt or–wave of energy flooded my mind. My head instantly started throbbing and my vision went blurry. The best way I could describe it is–TV static? Like the old TVs that would go all staticky when the signal got bad. I could barely make out shapes and a space in the middle of my vision was especially dark to the point where I couldn’t see past it. That wasn’t the worst of it, though. God no, if only I was that lucky. I can still hear the shrieking. That goddamn shrieking. In an instant all I could hear was this sharp, scratchy shrieking. It pierced through my ears and rooted itself in my head. I think I cried out in pain but even if I did I couldn’t have heard it. It was as if the damned souls of hell all cried out in eternal pain all at once and begged for death. I gripped and pulled at my hair, hardly noticing the pain that resulted from it as I fell to my knees in agony before…
I slowly opened my eyes. My head hurt and there was a slight buzzing in my ears. I lay in a pile of ivy next to a fallen log, my back dampened from the cool soil beneath me. I stood up, the hill on which I previously stood was nowhere in sight. As I leaned my shoulder against a tree to steady myself I heard voices. Cautiously, I walked through the foliage as the low vines dragged along my ankles. As I walked, I looked up. The falling sun cast a soft orange glow across the sky. It was probably around five O’clock or so. I climbed up on a large rock only to realize I was near the main camp. I pin-pointed the voices of my fellow campers as they huddled around a low-burning campfire. As I sat down to listen to them speak I could sense a strong feeling of uneasiness resonating from the group. Then it hit me.
“Are you sure you haven’t seen her since earlier this afternoon?” One of them said, I think his name was Matthew? He was tall and lean, by far the tallest in the group.
“I’m sure! It just doesn’t make sense. One minute she was behind me going on about who knows what and then the next when I turn around she’s gone!” A girl with light brown hair said. I didn’t know her name. I could see tears forming at the corner of her eyes as the wind blew her hair into her face.
“We need to find her before it gets dark. Groups of two; stick together!” A shorter man with brown hair said. Ryan. He was the only one I knew. We weren’t friends. Definitely not. But he was nice enough to me in the classes we had together and I was grateful that I was able to go on the trip with him. As he walked past the boulder I sat beside, paying me no mind, I saw his lower lip quiver as his wide eyes looked straight ahead. He was more nervous than he led on. I zoned out for a few seconds, the static from earlier crawling its way into the corners of my vision when a chipmunk climbing a tree snapped me back to reality and I realized I had been left at camp. I looked around at the tall forest but the group was nowhere in sight. I assumed they wanted me to wait at camp in case the missing girl, Alice, came back, but as I moved toward the dying campfire the call of nature occupied my thoughts. I found a spade and a roll of toilet paper and strode briskly into the forest, the cool Autumn air rushing against my chapped lips as I walked. I reached over to scratch an itch on my arm when I saw it.
“The fuck?” I wondered out loud. There on my upper forearm was…a bite mark. I rattled my brain trying to think what could have made that kind of mark. As I examined it more I confirmed my suspicions. It seemed human. At least I think it was human. It’s not like there are any goddamn monkeys native to Middle of Nowhere, California. There was also a dark purple bruise on my lower forearm. Didn’t remember getting that either.
I looked around for a good spot. Stepping over a log, I set my foot down on something soft. It was Alice. Her right hand crushed and mangled and a dried trickle of blood at the corner of her mouth had pooled on a flattened leaf. I screamed, tripping and falling back in the direction I hoped was the camp. As I jumped over a rock I landed hard on my left ankle as a streak of pain shot up through my body. I was trying to get back up when I heard it. The screeching. It steadily yet quickly faded in until it flooded my hearing. My vision was clouded by that same static. I curled up into a ball, kicking at the air. My eyes watered and I felt the urge to vomit…
A wave of dizziness hit me as I opened my eyes and fell on my tailbone, pain shooting up my back. I lay down on my back and looked up at the trees, my nose bloody. It was still dark. Had I been standing? I tried to recall what I had been doing but all I remembered were faded images. One thing I didn’t forget was the screeching. All that I could remember was covered by that screeching and a faint veil of that static. Just thinking about it made my head throb.
A groan. I nearly jumped out of my skin as I turned to look in the sound’s direction. It was David. He looked injured, lying on the ground, but quickly crawled back in what looked like fear when he saw me.
“You bitch!” He muttered between gritted teeth. Before I could react he was up on his feet charging in my direction. I tried to doge him but the wind was quickly knocked out of me as he headbutted me in the stomach. I fell back onto the ground and between coughs I saw him running towards me. Before he could deliver a heavy stomp to my chest I caught his foot and kicked up into his groin. He stumbled back with a low yelp of pain and, taking my chance while he was stunned, I stood up as fast as I could and prepared to block another attack. He ran up to me and attempted to deliver a blow to my stomach with his right fist, leaving his upper body undefended; I used the opportunity to send a hard punch into the side of his neck. He fell back choking, tears in his eyes. As he tried to sit down he tripped on a root and hit his head on a nearby boulder with a sickening crack. He squirmed for a moment, then nothing.
Silence. There was a faint red stain on the side of the rock, and beneath his blood-stained hair, his head seemed unnervingly misshapen. The closer I looked, the more I saw. Bruised neck, flowing blood, even some pinkish bone exposed near the worst of the damage to his skull. The fall must’ve been worse than I thought. Why would he attack me? What was wrong with him? Had he mistaken me for someone else? I sat against the blood-stained boulder and leaned my head back. I’m exhausted. Everything hurts. My ankle is throbbing. I can’t remember how long it’s been since I’ve slept and I don’t know what to do. I should probably go try to find the camp but…I’m too tired. I think I’m going to go to sleep now.
-September 18
I slept through the entire day and most of the night! Or, at least I think I did. The more I think about it I’m not so sure. It’s like 2:30 AM, glad my phone still works even if my brain doesn’t, just wish I had signal. I’m not sure what to do but I might try to go find
-4:29 AM
Something’s definitely out here with us. Or–me. Not sure how many of the others are left out here. I’m sure that shrieking is tied to something. I heard something off in the distance while writing and decided to go check it out. It was Matthew and that other girl. They were walking briskly and their eyes seemed to be darting around frantically. They were talking in hushed tones but from what I heard they found Alice's body, and they were worried. I was about to reveal myself to them when the shrieking came back. It hit me like a train, and sometimes I think a train would have hurt less. It felt like it lasted for hours, I bit a hole through my lip and fell off of the boulder I was sitting on. I couldn’t see anything except a dark patch of static in the middle of my vision surrounded by more static. All the cuts and bruises in my body seemed to amplify and I could barely breathe. I just wanted it to stop but it wouldn’t. It wouldn’t stop.
The two were dead when I came to. I wasn’t much better off myself. No matter how much I spit I can’t get the taste of blood out of my mouth. My arms are covered in cuts and bruises and my shoulder was dislocated. That was a fun half hour figuring out how to put it back in place. I think whatever is out here with us clouds your vision and makes it impossible to hear anything as a way to hunt you. I’m amazed it hasn’t killed me yet. I hope Ryan is still out there.
-6:06 AM
It’s been a long night. A really long night. I found Ryan but–but now I wish I hadn’t. It was around five AM I think, I had been aimlessly wandering through the forest looking for something, anything. By the most unlucky luck Ryan came stumbling around a tree. When he saw me his eyes went wide.
“Jon, what the hell?” Then he squinted his eyes and seemed to notice the wounds on my arm.
“Oh god,” he said. Then, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small knife, glaring at me during the process. Before I could reply, he charged me, knife in hand. I–I didn't want to kill him. I really didn’t. He tackled me to the ground, forcing the knife close to my chest. I desperately tried to push him away and being the stronger one, I knocked him off me. As he hurried to get back on top of me I sent my right leg flying into his arm, knocking the knife from his hand. Before he realized what was happening I grabbed the knife from the ground. In what seemed like a last desperate attempt he tried to force me down again but, already having the knife in my hand, I quickly slashed his chest and one of his wrists without thinking. I didn’t want to do it. I didn’t mean to kill him! I was just defending myself. I don’t know why he attacked me, what’s gotten into him and David? Is that thing controlling them? They didn’t seem like they were under some kind of spell…I don’t think so at least.
After a soft cry of pain he collapsed and rolled down the steep hill we were standing on. I didn’t bother looking for his body. No point. Odds are that thing would use his body as a trap for me or something. I don’t know anymore.
Somehow I found my way back. I don’t remember how, all I remember is collapsing against a tree out of exhaustion but, here I am at the trailhead. I guess my half dead brain forgot most of it. I don’t know what I’ll do now, I don’t think I’ll tell the police. If they hear that some creepy ghost creature is hiding out in the forest killing my friends I’ll probably get locked up in who the fuck knows where for who the fuck knows what. But, no matter how many or how few believe me, I know something is out there. And I know it’s dangerous. I doubt the bodies will ever be found. That forest is huge and I buried Matthew and Elizabeth, found her name in a backpack she had on.
This will be my last entry. My name is Jonathan Ashford, and I survived something dangerous in the Tahoe national forest. Whatever you do, do not go there. Goodbye.
-September 22, 2022, 5:06 PM
Ryan survived. The police are after me. Apparently he told them I stalked them in the forest and picked them off when they weren’t together. I don’t know what’s happening. There are some gaps in my memory but I know that I didn’t kill those people. I only killed David, and that was self defense. I’m not sure what I’ll do. The police don’t know where I am but I’m sure that won’t last long.
-8:19 PM
I saw an interview with Ryan on the local news while browsing channels. He seemed–off. There were bags under his eyes and his skin was pale. He seemed nervous, shaky. I hope he’s ok. I still don’t understand why he thinks I killed them.
-September 23, 3:12 AM
ok ok. I have a theory. I’ve been up all night thinking and it makes so much sense now. That thing can shriek. Terrifying right? But explainable. The static I still can’t make sense of, there’s no feasible way it could naturally do that. What if whatever supernatural force causes the static can also control people? Maybe that’s why Ryan looks so crazy. It must be controlling him. But why would it want me? Am I immune to its effects? Maybe.
-6:04 AM
They didn’t notice it. It didn’t hit them. When I was spying on Matthew and Elizabeth, right before they were–anyways.
The shrieking hit my ears before the static hit my eyes and in those few seconds, they didn’t notice. It didn’t affect them. They didn’t hear the shrieking. Maybe the shrieking is that monster thing's abilities failing to control me. Maybe that's why ryan-whatever’s controlling Ryan wants me. It’s because I’m a threat to it. Because It can’t control me. When I woke up I was injured, but never killed like the others. Maybe it doesn’t have as much power over me as others.
But why would the authorities believe Ryan? There’s no way his story can add up. Even if that creature, that thing, is intelligent, it can’t be that smart to fake a story. Why are they after me?
-11:42 PM
The police came by today. I was about to update this log again when they started banging on my door. I was able to sneak out a window before they noticed me, glad I live on the ground floor.
Something seemed off about them. I can’t say what but, something, like the uncanny valley effect, where something looks human but isn't. Whatever. It’s probably just my imagination. I need sleep.
-September 24, 2:20 AM
Something is wrong–something is definitely wrong. How did they find me? Holy shit that was close! I was dozing by a couple of dumpsters behind a gas station. Figured it was safe enough since it was out of the way and partly blocked by a fence until I heard dogs barking. Not sure how many of them there are, at least two–maybe three, I can still hear them barking. I figured they were just strays that would hopefully leave me alone until I saw the lights. Damn things half-blinded me!
“Son, what are you doing back here? Can we walk to you?” one of the officers said, his face was clammy and pale, he seemed tired, he seemed–off. I didn’t respond or wait for them to try and get closer, I dashed past them before they could call their dogs on me and jumped the fence, running into the tree line. I managed to climb my way up a tree a ways into the woods before they could get around the fence and send their dogs out. They haven’t found me yet, but they’re still looking for me. I can see their flashlights periodically bathing the tree line in a pale glow. I think I’ll try to wait them out and then climb down and run for as long as I can. Not sure where I’ll go yet but they keep finding me so I’ll have to get creative. Not sure how they’re finding me so quickly and easily, but maybe I can come up with something. Is that–thing finding me? Does it always know where I am? Is it controlling the police? Maybe that's why they looked so…wrong. I don’t know. I’m starting to think I don’t know anything anymore. I keep noticing the static in the corner of my vision occasionally, not sure why.
-September 24, 5:03 PM
I fucked up. Big time. Last night, somehow, I fell asleep. I don’t know how, guess I was just too exhausted. The sound of a helicopter pierced through the top of the tree line. Before I could register everything, I slipped and fell down the tree. I was able to slow my fall a bit by dragging my hands along the tree–hurt like a bitch–but I still landed hard. Can barely sit down. I think I was able to avoid being detected by the helicopter. I’m going to start walking. Not sure where but, I need to go somewhere. The static is constantly in the corner of my vision whenever I focus on it now. Why is this happening?
-10:44 PM
This doesn’t make any sense, I don’t know what's happening anymore! I was wandering through the forest when the static came back. God, it was awful, forgot how bad it was. Hell, maybe it was worse this time. Who knows. This isn’t the weirdest, or worst, part. I woke up in my apartment, I’m exhausted, but don’t have any new visible injuries despite how shitty I feel. Not sure why that thing didn’t try to hurt me, maybe it gave up on trying.
The news was on when I woke up, God I’m so fucked. They found the bodies–the ones that I buried. Of course they found my DNA all over them, used their forensics or whatever to try to explain how I killed everyone. I’ll have to admit if it wasn’t all a setup by some evil entity out to get me it would be pretty convincing. Sometimes–I find myself believing it. I don’t know what to think at this point, nothing makes sense anymore. The static is far more noticeable now. My head is starting to hurt, too.
They haven’t come back to my apartment yet, probably don’t think I would return this soon after they searched the place. I know they’ll be here eventually but I’m too tired to care right now. My brother and his kids used to live a few hours out of town, I think he built a treehouse for his kids somewhere behind the house. Maybe I’ll go try and hide out there for as long as I can. As if that will be very long at all.
-September 26, 6:24 PM
Everywhere I look, everything I watch. They’re always out for me. Everyone is looking for me. The things the police and the media keep saying about me–the evidence that gets released every day, the testimonies, officials saying I have symptoms of psychological problems like psychosis and DID, of Bipolar. More and more–I’m starting to believe it myself. Surely it's that thing. Surely it’s getting in my head…right?
-September 27, 1:03 PM
Made it to the treehouse, glad it’s still here. Had a few close calls along the way when trying to steal food from gas stations but I made it ok. Glad I did, the static is starting to really cloud my vision and my head hurts so bad my ears are starting to ring. I’m not out of the woods yet, that’s for sure. I can sense them...it. They’re trailing me. I think they’re getting close.
I’m so tired, so confused. I don’t know what to do, what to think anymore. What’s next? Maybe I’ll try to get some rest…if I can, that is.
I could try to come up with something, some silver bullet or whatever. I have this one idea, it’s not smart or clever, not even close, but it’s an idea, and it won’t let it–them–it, whatever, win. At least I don’t think it will; besides, surely it has a bigger plan for me, right? There’s no way it would go through all this effort just to kill me…
-4:39
They found me. I can hear them outside. They’re getting closer.
To be honest, I don’t know anymore. Maybe I did kill all those people, maybe I am insane. I don’t know what to believe. There’s so much being said, so many people saying it. I’m just so confused, so tired, so scared.
There's a bomb on the chair beside me, homemade. Glad I grabbed enough supplies to build it. Took me a while to figure it out as well as a few close calls but I think I got it working. They’ll have quite the surprise waiting for them once they find me…
They’re at the base of the tree now. The static has almost completely consumed my vision and my head feels like it’s about to explode. I don’t know what’s real and what’s not anymore. I’m not sure why I was made the target of this, why this is happening to me at all, but regardless of the reason, I won’t let them win.
To the creature, or entity, to whatever is doing this to me: I’ll see you in Hell.
Goodbye
Aside from some generic legal stuff to conclude the report, that’s where the document ends. I’m not sure what to make of it. Definitely a lot to take in. I contacted the OP on the site I got this from but haven’t received a response yet, will update if I receive one. For now my only advice is be careful, and don’t go backpacking in Tahoe National Forest. If anyone has any thoughts or info, please, let me know.